The moment: Thames crabs

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One of the Thames’ most hated parasites has caught the eye of London’s top chefs and looks set this autumn to become a culinary delight in its own right. The Chinese mitten crab, so called because of its Asian origins and woolly claws, first hitched a ride to London in the hulls of boats 100 years ago. It has been cutting nets and damaging riverbanks with its burrowing prowess ever since.

But now it looks set to usurp the king crab (our last crustacean crush) as a restaurant-menu favourite because the Food Standards Agency has declared it fit for the